Originally Posted by One Ford Drone

AU2 Tickford Special? Doesn't that mean the Rebel? If so, I was pretty sure they were actually 220kw.

Originally Posted by FPVSite

The AU XR8 ute's huge reserves in grip, safety and strength could more than support a power increase but this had to wait until after the April 2000 arrival of the AU Series II. The Series II upgrade introduced new front suspension components to allow for larger twin piston front calipers and a major boost in pad size and rotor thickness. Changes to the master cylinder and booster delivered a much firmer brake pedal especially in XR models. The new dual thickness/laminated firewall added refinement and while the XR8 sedan engine went to 200 kW, the XR8 ute retained the 185 kW engine. Styling revisions squared up the front, there was a new blue instrument background and a new 17 inch wheel design.

The XR8 Pursuit limited edition based on this AU Series II upgrade and launched in January 2001 was an important marker in Falcon ute history after it was the first to feature the 200 kW engine in the ute range and brought the XR8 utes and sedans in line. The Pursuit badge, which featured on the side skirts, was once the proud performance name for the Falcon's more powerful sixes but the neat play on the word ute made it the ideal badge for a premium performance ute model. The XR8 Pursuit also featured special body additions, polished sports bars and matching tonneau as standard.

The success of the first Pursuit led to the 200 kW engine being offered as the base XR8 engine by April 2001 but the sports bars and body additions became an option.